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Black History Year

The Black Roots Of Soapmaking

Black History Year

PushBlack

History

4.62.2K Ratings

🗓️ 11 April 2024

⏱️ 3 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Laundering on the plantation was no joke. It wasn’t easy work, especially because enslaved people made everything from scratch–including the soap.













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2-Minute Black History is produced by PushBlack, the nation's largest non-profit Black media company. PushBlack exists to amplify the stories of Black history you didn't learn in school. You make PushBlack happen with your contributions at BlackHistoryYear.com — most people donate $10 a month, but every dollar makes a difference. If this episode moved you, share it with your people! Thanks for supporting the work.


The production team for this podcast includes Cydney Smith, Len Webb, and Lilly Workneh. Our editors are Lance John and Avery Phillips from Gifted Sounds Network. Julian Walker serves as executive producer."

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Transcript

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0:00.0

You know, finding your best summer shouldn't be so hard.

0:04.0

Scan your next Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and play for a chance to grab your pass to summer's biggest events,

0:09.1

including music festivals, the Away for Euro 2024 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024.

0:14.3

G.B. 18-plus only, promotion ends 19th of May.

0:16.4

For full season sees, visit coke.k.

0:17.8

K.k. UK slash app slash summer 2024.

0:20.1

Laundering on the plantation was no joke.

0:27.0

It wasn't easy work, especially because enslaved people made everything from scratch, including the soap. This is two minute black history.

0:37.2

What you didn't learn in school. Many enslaved women spent their days laundering on hot plantations.

0:52.8

Tastes with washing clothes for so many people wasn't easy,

0:56.8

but they use what they had and made something out of nothing.

1:00.8

That something was soap. They initiated the soap making process by making a

1:07.0

lie substance known today as

1:09.7

suponification. The process required a slow mixing of water with oak wood ashes, but their

1:16.9

craft was much deeper than just making soap. It provided a clean path to liberation.

1:24.3

Our people were skilled artisans who used their skills to claim more autonomy and independence from

1:31.2

enslavers. Often they would get more work off the plantation and many

1:36.2

eventually saved enough to buy their freedom. Today many black-owned companies like Blade and Bloom and Butter continue the soap-making tradition of our people.

2:00.0

Consider honoring this history and switching to a product

2:04.0

handmade for us by us.

2:07.0

We've always had the ingenuity to find and create nude paths.

2:12.0

Remember to lean into your talents or explore until you

...

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